The Neutrality Policy of the United States

cause the European powers wish to use the League
purely for selfish interests.

Others point out that the neutrality proposals are
admittedly temporary. In their view, if the League
members succeed in restoring peace in Africa, and in
particular, if France and Britain give some concrete
evidence of their desire to meet the underlying needs of
the "have not" countries, the attitude of the American
Congress will change, and it will consent to a policy of
discriminating against an aggressor.

A real price of neutrality is suppressing all feelings
of sympathy, justice and righteousness about the behavior of other nations. This sounds more simple than
it may be in practice. Those, for instance, who look
upon the Soviet Union as the hope of the world might
have to sit by quietly while she attempted without aid--
even economic aid--to resist a combined attack from
imperialist powers. Complete non-intervention means
not merely willingness to sit by and watch justice,
democracy, or what you will, triumph without our help,
but willingness to sit by and watch injustice, fascism or
any other great menace, imaginary or real, have its way.
You may talk yourself blue in the face against going to
war because of its miseries and cruelties, its ultimate
ineffectuality, without much effect upon a crowd that
is already fighting mad. The way to combat one Royalty
is to set another and more vigorous one against it. The
mere ideal of neutrality is not stirring enough. There
must be some line of action that will provide a substitute
for the feelings that lead us to combat.

But this, of course, is only the beginning of the
matter. Noble motives comprise the raw material of

Print this page

While we understand printed pages are helpful to our users, this limitation is necessary
to help protect our publishers' copyrighted material and prevent its unlawful distribution.
We are sorry for any inconvenience.